Welcome to the Senior Executives Association

Senior Executives Association (SEA) is the professional association for career members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) and equivalent positions. SEA is not only the voice of the SES through a strong advocacy program, it empowers senior leaders across government by providing the tools, resources and connections they need to succeed in the 21st century.

SEA's membership spans across government agencies, missions and functions, giving SEA a unique whole of government perspective and the ability to connect to the skills, tools and people (both public and private sectors) that senior leaders need. SEA members receive access to research and news, strategic networks, and connections to the good practices across government that they may not receive on the job.

Above all else, SEA is guided by dedication to public service and to helping career federal leaders better serve the American people.

SEA - Empowering Career Leaders For Success

Rethinking Position Classification

One aspect of the civil service that is ripe for reform is the position classification process. People outside government struggle to understand the meaning of the hundreds of job series that are included in vacancy announcements.

They do not know the difference between a program analyst, a management analyst, a business analyst, a management/program analyst, or any of the other types of “analysts” they see advertised, or the countless other job identifiers. With the general schedule and other pay plans such as the wage grade system for trade and craft jobs, there are about 400 job series in the federal government, along with more than 100 pay grades. The result is thousands of possible job classifications.

Years ago, when most of these classification processes were created, position classification was considered to be a serious business. Classifiers did detailed analyses of jobs, often going on-site to audit positions. Those audits included interviews with managers and employees, and observations of work being done. The intent was to make certain that federal workers got the correct pay for the work they did. Job classification also included something called “position management” that was intended to make certain jobs were structured in a way that was effective and that did not waste government resources (specifically, taxpayer dollars).

SEA connects its members to the networks, opportunities and resources that help them succeed. SEA also provides a forum for its members to engage in policy discussions on critical government management challenges and opportunities. Through membership, SEA members are part of the movement to transform government for the 21st century and to empower senior leaders to drive change.

What you get

Through strategic connections, insight into cutting-edge practices and resources, career advancement tools, and thought leadership, SEA helps its members build a “Leadership Profession” within the federal government to ensure that the experience of senior career leaders is used in new ways to promote a stronger and more effective government.

SEA membership options are available to career SES and equivalent positions, retired SES and aspiring leaders (GS-12 through GS-15). Click below for information about eligibility and membership categories.